By Brian D. Renner Dec. 15, 2021
Opinion: Should ‘Harry Potter’ still be popular for next generation?
- For many readers and fans, “Harry Potter” became a safe escape and supportive community.
- Controversial author J.K. Rowling has since spread transphobic messages, killing some of the magic.
- It’s hard to replicate the effect of the series for the next generation with its real-life context.
“Harry Potter” needs no introduction. It was a once-in-a-generation phenomenon.
As the millennial Potterheads grew up, the books provided an idealist escape to the less complicated world of childhood. The Wizarding World became a safe place where magic was real and bravery, brains, and friendship always won.
For early and late adopters alike, it seemed like a given that such a treasured series would be passed lovingly along to the next generation. But as often happens as we age, the real world began to seep in.
J.K. Rowling’s transphobic viewpoints left many Potter fans disenchanted
In 2020, in a now-infamous series of tweets and a subsequent essay, the controversial “Harry Potter” author issued a spate of contentious statements about biological sex and gender. Rowling’s opinions led many to label her a trans-exclusionary radical feminist.
A TERF is generally characterized as a person who says they’re a feminist while espousing trans-exclusionary views. Common examples include saying that trans women aren’t women, barring trans women from women’s spaces, and conflating sex with gender.
These comments weren’t her first foray into transphobia. In addition to liking a couple of offensive tweets in 2018, she also tweeted in 2019 in support of a British woman who was fired over making transphobic comments.
Then, amid the backlash of her 2020 tweets and essay, the author published a poorly received book under her pseudonym, Robert Galbraith, that follows a male serial killer who lures his victims by dressing as a woman.
Her actions disenchanted scores of fans, who have struggled to figure out what to do with their love for the series given the controversy around its creator.
As Rowling’s personal beliefs became harder to ignore so, too, did the biases embedded in her books
Warner Bros.
As fans reexamine the books and amplify long-quieted critiques in the wake of this backlash, it’s become increasingly clear that Rowling’s personal views and biases made their way into the subtext of the series.
Like so much of the media of yesteryear, the books are rightfully subjected to critiques and criticisms. Everything from the naming of Cho Chang, to the injustice that was the Patil twins’ Yule Ball look, to the absence of prominent Black and queer characters dulls the series’ luster.
Rowling’s attempts to revise history by sharing postcanonical details about characters and the Wizarding World at large — such as Dumbledore being gay and a minor, unknown character being Jewish — did little to quell these claims.
In a series that spans thousands of pages and often provides minute details, the thought that Rowling couldn’t spare a few words to mention a character’s race or sexuality already seems preposterous. But to imply that these facts were always present and that fans merely missed or failed to imagine them feels mildly insulting.
Rowling, like any person, is only human. Although some of the series’ flaws exist as overt bigotry, other coded messages may have been the result of unconscious biases or internalized stereotypes.
But intentional or not, the implications of these problematic portrayals left a stain on the series that even the most ardent Potterphiles can no longer ignore.
With each offensive comment Rowling shares, the Wizarding World becomes less of an escape.
Some fans who were raised on ‘Harry Potter’ faced an existential reckoning, and the path forward isn’t clear
Suddenly, fans were reckoning with the literary equivalent of having a racist uncle: What do you do when someone or something problematic is unwittingly and inextricably entwined with your world?
It’s difficult to truly separate art from the artist when the artist’s views color her world in so many fundamental ways.
Some fans treasure their existing copies of the beloved series while refusing to purchase anything new to support Rowling financially. For others, the books lie obscured and discarded, awaiting a fate yet to be determined.
As the original generation of fans has children, some may choose to omit the books entirely, opting for more inclusive family reading. Others may still introduce the series but ensure that it’s accompanied by disclaimers and caveats.
This intrusion of real life means the series can’t be a safe haven for the next generation. When we introduce the real world to the Wizarding World, we inherently drain some of its magic.
‘Harry Potter’ can never be what it once was for the next generation of readers
As we look for ways to carry the best of the books into the future, we’ll have to leave some of their splendor in the past — like a literary “you had to be there” moment.
We don’t have a Time-Turner to rectify these wrongs, so we’ll look upon “Harry Potter” with the kind of melancholy nostalgia that accompanies the lost days of childhood — a yearning for a time when the series was unburdened and uncomplicated.
As we look to the future, the best we can hope is that these conversations inspire the next generation to foster fully inclusive magic and create a more perfect version of this fantasy world.
Rowling and her representatives have declined to comment.
Brain surgeons, rocket scientists are not brighter than the rest
Researchers examined data from an international cohort of 329 aerospace engineers and 72 neurosurgeons who completed 12 tasks online using the Great British Intelligence Test (GBIT) from the Cognitron platform, as well as answering questions around their age, sex and levels of experience in their speciality.
The findings published in the festive edition of BMJ, reveal that only neurosurgeons showed a significant difference, with quicker problem-solving speed but slower memory recall compared with the general population, the report said.
“The difference in problem-solving speed exhibited by neurosurgeons might arise from the fast-paced nature of neurosurgery, which attracts those with a pre-existing flair for rapid processing, or it could be, albeit less likely, a product of training for rapid decision-making in time-critical situations,” the researchers noted.
‘An Actor’s Actor’: An insightful biography of a great actor, Sanjeev Kumar
Cut to the book. Zaveri and Batra have done a commendable job for two reasons. One, the book accurately, truthfully and insightfully present the largely unknown back-story of one of Bollywood’s – and India’s – truly gifted actor’s journey from obscurity to centre-stage. Two, it emphasises his relentless focus and agenda to be recognised, accepted, appreciated and respected as an actor first, a star later.
In star-centric Bollywood, actors have always lost out in the popularity polls to the glitzy, glossy stars; the audience-friendly creatures who blaze the neons. Be it Dilip-Balraj, SRK-Naseer, Salman-Nawaz, star power has always hi-jacked the buzz. Sanjeev Kumar is perhaps – arguably – the only actor who has held his own, both in multi-starrers and solo-projects. Be it Khilona, Anamika, Koshish, Manchali, Naya Din Nayee Raat, Mausam, Anubhav, Pati, Patna aur Woh, Angoor, Zindagi, Manoranjan … or Sholay, Trishul, Vidhata, Silsila, Kala Pathar, Seeta aur Geeta, Shatranj Ki Khilari … Sanjeev Kumar always stood out. Even minus his looks and physique hardly conforming to the requirements of a matinee idol [read: Rajesh, Amitabh, Vinod Khanna, Jitendra, Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor], the paunchy actor crossed the rubicon, with passion and purpose and triumphed like very few others have.
The authors trace and track the trajectory of Sanjeev Kumar’s life and times not in a fan boy manner, but with perspective, sensitivity and soul. From the changing of his name, Haribhai Jhariwala, the Gujarati stage actor to Sanjeev Kumar, the Bollywood aspirant; his unsung, unnoticed and unheralded entry into the industry with B-grade stunt films; his first cameo against the Emperor of Bollywood Dilip Kumar in Sangharsh [chronicled in an unmisssable, fascinating chapter entitled Jamnadas’s Sangharsh] and the terrific impact it made on the industry-wallahs and audiences; his subsequent steady rise in the industry in terms of name, fame and roles; his bonding and films with Gulzar; his awe of Bengali diva Suchitra Sen; his passionate affair with a co-star and popular leading lady of the time; it’s tragic end and subsequent heart-break; iconic multi-starrers he participated with memorable elan and grace; his eternal availability for soul-strip roles (which others wouldn’t dream of accepting) that challenged the artist in him; his health issues and slow, sad fade-out … and of course alongside his role as a true, loving, caring son, brother, uncle and dutiful provider for his family, and a yaron ka yaar to his close friends like Shatrughan Sinha.
New Release Calendar: The Biggest Movies Coming Out In …
Your favorite directors. The movie stars you love. Whenever it is that you feel comfortable returning to movie theaters, something great will be there to welcome you back.
The following dates are subject to change, but here is a calendar listing of all the major theatrical movie releases through 2022. For more resources on how to return to movie theaters safetly, please visit Fandango’s hub complete with safety procedures for over 100 movie theater chains around the country.
2021 Major Theatrical Releases
August 2021
8/6: The Suicide Squad
8/13: Don’t Breathe 2
8/13: Free Guy
8/13: Respect
8/20: Paw Patrol
8/27: Candyman
September 2021
9/3: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
9/10: Malignant
9/17: The Bad Guys
9/24: Dear Evan Hansen
October 2021
10/1: The Many Saints of Newark
10/1: The Addams Family 2
10/8: No Time to Die
10/15: Halloween Kills
10/15: Venom: Let There Be Carnage
10/15: The Last Duel
10/22: Dune
10/22: Jackass 4
10/22: Ron’s Gone Wrong
10/23: Last Night in Soho
November 2021
11/5: Eternals
11/5: Untitled Elvis Presley Movie
11/11: Ghostbusters: Afterlife
11/19: Top Gun: Maverick
11/19: King Richard
11/24: Encanto
11/24: House of Gucci
December 2021
12/10: West Side Story
12/17: Spider-Man: No Way Home
12/22: Sing 2
12/22: The King’s Man
12/22: The Matrix Resurrections
2022 Major Theatrical Releases
January 2022
1/7: The 355
1/14: Scream 5
1/14: Deep Water
1/14: The Man from Toronto
1/21: Morbius
February 2022
2/11: Death on the Nile
2/11: Marry Me
2/18: Ambulance
2/18: Rumble
2/18: Uncharted
March 2022
3/4: The Batman
3/11: Pixar’s Turning Red
3/25: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
April 2022
4/8: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
4/15: Bad Guys
4/15: The Lost City of D
May 2022
5/6: Thor: Love and Thunder
5/20: Legally Blonde 3
5/27: John Wick: Chapter 4
5/27: Mission: Impossible 7
June 2022
6/10: Jurassic World: Dominion
6/17: Pixar’s Lightyear
6/24: Transformers
July 2022
7/8: Black Panther II
7/29: Black Adam
7/29: Indiana Jones 5
October 2022
10/7: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2
10/14: Halloween Ends
November 2022
11/4: DC’s The Flash
11/11: Captain Marvel II
11/23: Creed III
11/24: I Wanna Dance With Somebody
December 2022
12/16: Aquaman 2
12/16: Avatar 2
12/23: The Nightingale
The Hardback Hogwarts House Editions of The ‘Harry Potter’ Series Are Now On Sale!
Happy Christmas Insiders! I know, I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet BUT it seems Christmas has come early! I am so extremely excited to report that the new hardback house editions of the “Harry Potter” series is officially now on sale! The four sets come in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin editions!
Out today: the hardback House Editions boxset is the ultimate gift for those who wear their house colours with pride. Each glorious collection of beautifully crafted House Editions features unique house-themed covers and a magical miscellany of extra content.
❤️💛💚💙 pic.twitter.com/6oOUW0TeYo— Bloomsbury UK (@BloomsburyBooks) November 11, 2021
These are THE PERFECT gift for any Potterhead and with Christmas right around the corner these came out at the perfect time. Even you have all the “Harry Potter” books already, this is still the perfect gift as it shows off House pride and it’s so much fun for Harry Potter lovers to collect these sets. I personally have two different sets, the original set of books plus the illustrated ones, and I honestly really want these ones as well (I want to show my Hufflepuff House pride!).
Per Bloomsbury Publishing, “Each glorious collection of beautifully crafted House Editions features unique house-themed covers and a magical miscellany of extra content. This is the perfect box set to curl up with this winter.” I will certainly agree that this new edition of the series is gorgeously crafted and they are the perfect books to bundle up in a warm blanket by the fire with right next to the Christmas tree! If you’re interested in purchasing for yourself or as a gift for a fellow Potterhead, click here.
Beware of fake news on grace marks in class 12 accountancy paper: CBSE tells students
“The contents in news reports published are totally baseless and false. None of the reporters has spoken to the Controller of Examination, CBSE in this regard and the board has not taken any such decision. CBSE, therefore, warns the public not to fall prey to such unverified news in their own interest,” it added.
In the purported audio message, the controller was saying, “Don’t worry students, if you attempt 28 to 31 questions correctly, you will score around 38 marks. CBSE will award grace marks up to six to the students”.
Movies Coming Out on Christmas Day 2021
Festive decorations and lights deck the halls and streets, hot cocoa and other sweet treats are consumed in abundance, and aromatic pine trees are everywhere you look (and sniff). Ah, it really is Christmas time again. And what better way to celebrate the holidays than by gathering around a fire (or space heater) with your family and friends to watch the most recent magnificent movies hitting screens near you?
From streaming to cable to theatrical releases, we have you covered on all of the films that are coming out on Christmas in 2021. If you’re not sure what premieres are on the horizon or have an idea of what’s coming but don’t know where to start, don’t sweat it, because we’ve got you covered! Here are the six new movies being released on Christmas Day this year, and how you can find them.
MOVIES COMING OUT ON CHRISTMAS 2021: STREAMING GUIDE
This year, only one major streaming service will be releasing a new movie on Christmas Day. Netflix will be dropping the brand new comedy special Jimmy Carr: His Dark Material out of British comedian and TV presenter Jimmy Carr, who has previously put out an impressive 10 comedy specials (two of which can currently be found on Netflix) throughout the 21 years (and counting) of his comedy career.
The only other streaming release premiering on Christmas Day is docuseries Stories of a Generation – With Pope Francis, which is another Netflix Original. You can also look forward to the highly-anticipated new star-studded Adam McCay disaster comedy film Don’t Look Up, which drops on Netflix on Christmas Eve. Leave it to Netflix to pull through with brand new titles to check out on this merry ho-ho-holiday.
WHAT MOVIES COME OUT ON CHRISTMAS DAY?
The full list of movies coming out on Christmas Day are as follows. Read on for more information about how to watch!
Streaming Releases:
Jimmy Carr: His Dark Material (Netflix)
Theatrical Releases:
A Journal for Jordan
American Underdog
Licorice Pizza
The Tragedy of MacBeth (in theaters on December 25 and on Apple TV+ January 14, 2022)
Cable Releases:
Writing Around the Christmas Tree (Lifetime Channel, 8pm EST)
HOW TO WATCH THE NEW MOVIES COMING OUT ON CHRISTMAS
When it comes to streaming, you can easily find Jimmy Carr: His Dark Material on Netflix this Christmas Day. A Journal for Jordan (starring Michael B. Jordan and Chanté Adams), American Underdog (starring Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin, and Dennis Quaid), and Licorice Pizza (starring Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper, and Tom Waits) will all have their wide theatrical releases on Christmas Day, as well.
Things get a little trickier with our last two premieres, as the highly anticipated drama The Tragedy of MacBeth (starring Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell, and Corey Hawkins) will have a limited theatrical release on December 25th, becoming more widely available once it hits Apple TV+ on January 14 in the new year. Lastly, for those of you with cable TV (or a cable provider you can access through your other devices), be sure to look our for TV Movie Writing Around the Christmas Tree, which premieres on the Lifetime channel at 8pm EST on Christmas.
One-Part Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Opens on Broadway December 7
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Broadway News
One-Part Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Opens on Broadway December 7
The Tony Award-winning play runs at the Lyric Theatre.
Lauren Nicole Cipoletti, Brady Dalton Richards, and James Romney in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Matthew Murphy
Audiences can once again visit the Wizarding World on Broadway. A newly condensed, one-part production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child opens December 7 at the Lyric Theatre after pausing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previews began November 12.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child first opened on Broadway as a two-part experience April 22, 2018. The production would go on to be nominated for 10 Tony Awards, winning five, including Best Play.
James Romney, Brady Dalton Richards, and cast in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Matthew Murphy
The play, penned by Jack Thorne, director John Tiffany, and original series author J.K. Rowling, takes place 19 years after the events of Deathly Hallows as the title wizard’s youngest son begins his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The Broadway production stars James Snyder as Harry Potter and Diane Davis as Ginny Potter alongside James Romney as their son Albus Potter; David Abeles as Ron Weasley, Jenny Jules as Hermione Granger, and Nadia Brown as their daughter Rose Granger-Weasley; and Aaron Bartz as Draco Malfoy and Brady Dalton Richards as his son Scorpius Malfoy.
Rounding out the company are Oge Agulué, Kevin Angulo, Chelsey Arce, Quinn Blades, Michela Cannon, Will Carlyon, Lauren Nicole Cipoletti, Judith Lightfoot Clarke, Ted Deasy, Kira Fath, Stephanie Gomérez, Steve Haggard, Ben Horner, Edward James Hyland, Jax Jackson, Jack Koenig, Spencer LaRue, Rachel Leslie, Sarita Amani Nash, Alexandra Peter, Dan Piering, Kevin Matthew Reyes, William Rhem, Antoinette Robinson, Stephen Spinella, Tom Stephens, Maya Thomas, and Karen Janes Woditsch.
The production features movement by Steven Hoggett, sets by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music and arrangements by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, illusions and magic by Jamie Harrison, and music supervision and arrangements by Martin Lowe. Patricia Dayleg is the newly appointed director of equity, diversity, and inclusion. U.S. casting is by Jim Carnahan. Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender, and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions serve as producers.
Check Out New Photos of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway
Check Out New Photos of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway
8 PHOTOSDavid Abeles, Jenny Jules, and Nadia Brown in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Matthew Murphy
Brady Dalton Richards and James Romney in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Matthew Murphy
Brady Dalton Richards, Michela Cannon, and James Romney in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Matthew Murphy
James Romney and Brady Dalton Richards in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Matthew Murphy
James Romney, Brady Dalton Richards, and cast in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Matthew Murphy
Brady Dalton Richards in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Matthew Murphy
Lauren Nicole Cipoletti, Brady Dalton Richards, and James Romney in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Matthew Murphy
Edward James Hyland in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Manuel Harlan
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An epidemic of film critics
Like who? The few exceptions who have been open to discussion and debate would comprise Shyam Benegal for sure, Ramesh Sippy (ever since he couldn’t quite top Sholay), Rajkumar Hirani (the lord preserve him), Farhan Akhtar (I think), Hansal Mehta (ever since he turned to reality-culled cinema with Shahid), Ashutosh Gowariker (I hope) and…naah no one else.
That asserted, what do most film reviewers dream about in the multiplex of the mind? I’d like to believe that we dream about reacting to films with emotion, honesty and with a certain individualism. We chase, often in vain, the ideal of illumination, persuasion, crystal clear thinking and writing.
The film industry is not to be indulged, any more than the filmmaker is to be told how he or she should make movies. The one would be dishonest, the other presumptuous. The public, the reader of film reviews is to be guided, certainly, but not in a simplistic manner. Criticism certainly isn’t a branch of the Consumers’ Guidance Society.
Those star ratings – on a scale of one to five stars above a review–are another story altogether. How to ‘starrify’ a movie is a pain in the neck, and worse. Like it or detest it, that dumbed-down chore, that ‘quickie’ indicator is mandatory. Those who venture forth to read the entire review below those galactic icons, in fact, deserve a certificate of bravery for their fortitude and patience.
The point is that it’s not for the critic of any persuasion to do the reader’s thinking. It is far more important for the critic to do his or her own thinking to share with the viewer. This may seem like a slight difference but all aspects considered, it is tremendous.
To offer a bit of plot summary, speedy judgments — this actor was bad, that one was good — and an arbitrary recommendation for or against the film — this kind of criticism thinks for the reader, and is perfectly worthless.
Consolably, there is another kind of criticism in which the writer develops thought processes, as it were, behind glass so transparently that the reader can see how the critical mind engages the film, and arrives at conclusions.
This tantamounts to thinking aloud in public, which the reader can agree or disagree with, in part or in toto. It invites a dialogue. It is not a fatherly pointing index finger, neither an insider’s dope, nor a brother and sister act on the lines of, “We’re all alike and if I loved or hated it, so will you.”